Of the disagreements between fruit growers and beekeepers, probably
those growing out of the tendency of the bees to suck the juice
from cracked grapes have been most serious. Many unfortunate
misunderstandings have resulted from such circumstances, though the
injury was as great to the beekeeper as to the fruit grower, in many
cases.
This condition arises from a combination of circumstances which does
not often occur in the average locality. In the first place, the bees
do not seek the grapes when there is plenty of nectar in the field,
and, beside, they are unable to reach the juice unless the grape has
first cracked open through unfavorable weather conditions or has been
injured by birds, wasps, or other agency. Grape growers, seeing the
bees at work in the vineyards, have often accused the bees of injury to
the fruit. The fact of the matter is that the bee is unable to puncture
the fruit, and only sucks the juice from such fruits as have already
been broken open and are already damaged.
Wet weather often causes ripening grapes to crack open to such an
extent that they would be of little value, even though no insect
touched them thereafter. In dry weather, also, birds sometimes pierce
the skins, apparently in search of moisture from lack of an available
water supply. Some authorities say that at such times a liberal supply
of water in open vessels near the vineyard will stop the injury from
the birds. The English sparrow is accused of injury to grapes to a
larger extent than most birds.
The grape-berry moth infests a great many grapes in some localities.
In fact, entomologists state that in some localities as high as 50
per cent of the crop is injured by this insect alone. The fact that
the honeybee sucks the juice from the berries which have already been
opened by wet weather, grape-berry moths or other causes, does not
greatly injure the grape grower, for such fruit is of little value.
The writer has visited the raisin districts of Southern California and
discussed this condition with the raisin growers. The accompanying
picture (Fig. 67) shows a bunch of raisin grapes that had been sucked
dry by the bees. In that locality rains are very infrequent when the
raisins are being dried. They are spread out in thin layers in crates
and the crates left in the sun, or piled up one above another, till
fully dry. Previous to the writer’s visit there had been an unexpected
rain, and some raisins were allowed to get wet. As a result they
cracked open, and there being just then no available nectar for the
bees, they swarmed over the raisins and sucked them dry, as shown in
the picture. The grower admitted, however, that the raisins had been so
badly damaged by the rain as to be of little value.
[Illustration: Fig. 67. Raisin grapes sucked dry by bees after the
skins have been broken by rain.]
The thing which few grape growers seem to understand, is that it is
unfortunate, indeed, for the beekeeper in northern regions, whose bees
fill their hives with this grape juice. In the north there are long
periods during the long winter months when the bees are unable to
leave the hive. Since the bee is only able to void her excrement while
on the wing, there is a large accumulation of feces during such long
confinement. If the bees have only the best white honey for food the
tax is severe at best. When they have fruit juice, honeydew or other
food containing a large amount of waste matter, the intestines become
so distended that the bees die for lack of opportunity of a cleansing
flight. Grape growers will in many cases be surprised to learn that
thousands of bees die from having filled their combs with fruit juice
instead of honey. Of course, the wide-awake beekeeper will remove this
material from the hive and give them good honey or sugar syrup instead,
if it is possible to do so. This, however, involves a large amount of
labor, and the gathering of the juice from the grapes, instead of being
an advantage to the beekeeper, is a serious inconvenience to him. In
southern California, where there is no winter confinement, there is no
particular injury to the bees, other than spoiling the grade of any
honey with which it may happen to be mixed.
The late Charles Dadant, who was one of the most widely known
beekeepers of the past generation, on one occasion had a difficulty
with some growers who could not be made to understand that he was
not getting rich at the expense of his neighbors, when his bees were
attracted to their grapes. He decided that the only way to convince
them that the interests of the beekeeper and the grape grower were
mutual, was to grow the largest acreage of grapes in the neighborhood.
This he proceeded to do, and after he became the largest grower of
grapes in his community there was no longer any criticism, for they
could readily see that he had too much at stake in his grapes to permit
him to be prejudiced in favor of the bees.
That bees are valuable in securing the fertilization of the blossoms of
some varieties of grapes, there is little question.
GRAPE FRUIT (Citrus decumana).
Nowhere in America is the grape fruit cultivated in such extensive
orchards as is the case with the orange and lemon. It is recognized as
a valuable source of honey, but not equal to either of the foregoing.
It is an evergreen tree similar in habit to the other citrus fruits,
and the area devoted to its cultivation is being extended in various
districts.
Bees are very efficient pollenizers of grape fruit blossoms. The Atwood
grape fruit ranch, one of the largest in Florida, is provided with two
apiaries, brought there at the request of the manager of the ranch.
They hold that the trees bear a larger number of fruits since the bees
have been kept in close proximity.